Dedicated to Muhammad Ali: The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has always been a happy hunting ground for Lewis Hamilton. Last Sunday, the reigning Formula 1 World Champion won there for the fifth time. “Over the last 10-15 laps all I could think of was Muhammad Ali,” said Lewis, referring to the recently deceased boxing legend. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee – because it really felt like I was floating. For me, and everyone I'm sure, he was such an inspirational figure, so that one was for him.”

Debut in Baku: Next weekend, Formula 1 rises to a new challenge – the approximately six-kilometre Baku City Circuit. Just like Monaco and Singapore, the two most glamorous venues on the F1 calendar, the race in Azerbaijan will be staged on a street circuit. It has been designated the European Grand Prix, the first such fixture in four years. The last European Grand Prix was also held on a street circuit, namely in Valencia. On that occasion, Michael Schumacher in a Silver Arrow made it onto the podium for a P3 finish. The race in Baku will be the 23rd European Grand Prix. The first took place in 1983 at Brands Hatch. In the intervening years, it has also been hosted by Donington, Jerez, Valencia and the Nürburgring.

TV appearances: DTM fans are looking forward to what is generally considered to be the highlight of the season, namely the legendary Norisring street circuit in Nuremberg on the weekend of 24th - 26th June. Lausitzring winner Lucas Auer and Maximilian Götz appeared on television this week. Austria’s first ever DTM race winner was a guest on the Monday evening edition of Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar-7 on ServusTV. Meanwhile, Maximilian Götz was on the Bayerischer Rundfunk Abendschau news programme talking about his forthcoming home race in Nuremberg.

You can now look back on three DTM race weekends. What are your initial thoughts?

Esteban Ocon: “The first race weekend at Hockenheim actually started off quite well. We were pleased with our pace, but the races themselves were best forgotten. I had no luck at all and was unable to finish either of the two races. So obviously it wasn’t exactly the sort of debut you would wish for. Then, at Spielberg and the Lausitzring, we weren’t strong enough to finish in the points. But we are working hard to raise our performance to a level where we can soon be scoring points and making podium appearances.”& amp; amp; lt; /p>

Did you expect the DTM to be so tough?

Esteban Ocon: “Absolutely not. I never thought that it would be so tough, driving in the DTM. But I think I’m now beginning to understand the series better. In the DTM, experience is extremely important. You have to have confidence in your car and get used to this type of racing. The wheel-to-wheel action is definitely the biggest difference compared to single-seater racing. But I’m learning more with every weekend and hope to be scoring my first points some time soon. If we manage to get it all together on a single weekend, then a decent result is definitely achievable. Everyone on the team is working very hard for that.”

When your Formula 1 responsibilities are also taken into account, you already have ten race weekends behind you this year. How do you feel it’s going in general?

Esteban Ocon: “It’s still incredible fun. Being able to combine the DTM and F1 is fantastic, because you learn so much. An opportunity like this doesn’t come along every day. Obviously the pressure is great, but I can’t really complain.”

Social Media News

Behind the scenes: Team evening in Montreal: Formula 1 moves on directly from the Canadian Grand Prix to its debut in Azerbaijan. Back-to-back race weekends make huge demands on the team. Consequently, they took advantage of a suitable opportunity which presented itself on the Wednesday before the race weekend in Montreal to organise the traditional team dinner. Toto Wolff and Nico Rosberg offer some insights into what goes on behind the scenes.

Watch video clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=309f46MccMY

Meet #GrandpaLewis!: What’s it going to be like in 40 years when Lewis is telling his grandchildren about his exploits in Formula 1 racing and about how he won his world championship titles? This commercial for Allianz Road Safety takes a humorous look into the future.

Watch video clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJExm5rJk7Y

#Instamillion: Wow, the Silver Arrows are now up to 1,000,000 million followers on Instagram! As a thank-you to its loyal fans, the team is giving one lucky winner the chance to be part of the team for a day at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix and to be in charge of the Instagram channel.

More info about this competition: www.mercedesamgf1.com/en/mercedes-amg-f1/amg-f1-news/amg-f1-article/instamillion

#ThisIsDTM: Motorsport Festival: Terrific atmosphere at the Lausitzring! The 67,500 spectators who came through the turnstiles on the third race weekend of the DTM 2016 season were thrilled by racing action on two wheels and four – and of course by the maiden DTM victory for Lucas Auer.